The cognitive process of Chinese gardens in the West is like a painting of ups and downs. With the changes of the times and the evolution of communication channels, it has gone through a tortuous process from praise to criticism, and finally returned to rationality. In this long and complex journey of cognition, the turning point of the early 20th century was particularly crucial. With the specialized investigation of architectural art and the widespread application of photography technology, the Western academic community opened a new chapter in the study of Chinese gardens, and a series of garden monographs emerged one after another. Among them, Florence Lee Powell's In the Chinese Garden became a brilliant pearl in the history of cross-cultural communication with its unique perspective and presentation. This paper aims to deeply analyze the unique position and value of the book In the Chinese Garden in the Western understanding of Chinese gardens from the perspective of cross-cultural communication, by examining the author's life, writing purpose, discourse structure, discourse style, and the use of photographs. By examining the research of Florence Lee Powell, we can have a more comprehensive, fair, and objective understanding of the profound cultural heritage of Chinese gardens. Florence Lee Powell, a foreign teacher with an infinite passion for Chinese culture, was deeply attracted to Chinese culture during her teaching period at Suzhou Jinghai Women's Normal School in 1926, and began to explore and record Chinese gardens in depth. She captured the beauty of Suzhou Lingering Garden and Lion Grove Garden with her feminine delicacy and sensitivity, engraving every detail of these two classic gardens into the memory of history. In 1943, she compiled these precious images and profound insights into a formal book for publication. This work is not only a heartfelt tribute to Chinese garden art, but also a successful practice in cross-cultural dialogue, opening a unique window for Western readers to explore the beauty of Chinese gardens. In terms of discourse structure, In the Chinese Garden demonstrates a rigorous academic style and clear logical clues. At the beginning, Florence Lee Powell sincerely explained the original intention and historical background of writing this book, laying a guiding stone for readers to reach the hall of Chinese classical garden art. Subsequently, as an almost tour guide, she led readers to explore the deep secrets of the Lingering Garden and Lion Grove Garden step by step according to the actual tour route. The clever combination of floor plans and sequence photos in the book makes readers feel as if they are walking among the gardens themselves. They can not only intuitively feel the ingenuity and harmony of the garden layout, but also understand the profound cultural connotations and symbolic meanings behind each scenery through delicate and meticulous textual explanations. This narrative strategy, which combines graphics and text, greatly enhances the readability and attractiveness of books, providing Western readers with an unprecedented perspective to understand and appreciate the subtleties of Chinese garden art. In the application and analysis of photos, Florence Lee Powell demonstrated extraordinary aesthetic insight. She is skilled in using central composition techniques, cleverly utilizing doors, windows, doorways, and even natural branches in the garden as the framework of the picture, not only guiding the viewer's visual focus, but also endowing the photo with deeper aesthetic connotations. By accurately capturing the details of the garden, whether it is the intricate textures on the rockery, the exquisite patterns on the leaky windows, or even the delicate tiles on the roof, they are all recorded one by one by Florence Lee Powell's lens, allowing Western readers to experience the delicacy and delicacy of Chinese gardens up close, as if crossing time and space, and personally touching the physical objects that carry heavy historical and cultural memories, experiencing a spiritual baptism and cultural exploration. The innovative value of In the Chinese Garden is not only reflected in filling the gap in Western research on the Chinese landscape system, but more importantly, as a successful case of cross-cultural communication, it provides valuable methodological inspiration for later scholars and researchers. The combination of sequential photography and textual description used in the book not only deepens the Western world's understanding and appreciation of Chinese garden art, but also opens up new paths for the fields of garden photography, recording, and analysis. This work builds a bridge connecting Eastern and Western cultures through its unique discourse logic and rich visual materials, promoting mutual understanding and respect between the two civilizations. To this day, In the Chinese Garden still shines with its immortal academic brilliance and cultural value. The photos in the book, as precious historical witnesses, not only provide intuitive visual materials for scholars to study the historical evolution of Chinese gardens, but also provide important references for the protection, restoration, and inheritance of modern gardens. In the wave of globalization, we must cherish and inherit this cultural treasure that transcends national borders, so that the unique charm of Chinese gardens can continue to shine on the stage of world culture and become a common spiritual wealth of all mankind.